Qi Xuansu got off the passenger ship and obviously felt the difference in attitude.

Because he is now dressed as a decent Western man, whether it is the crew or anything else, they are polite to him, and it seems that this is quite a wonderful world.

But if you look at the other side of the world, you will find that this is not the case, those hard laborers and slaves not only have to bear heavy labor, but also the existence of overseers, at this time they do not have the respect and humility in the face of gentlemen, bloody and barbaric.

Among them, there are also oriental faces.

Although the slave trade was strictly forbidden, some people were unfortunately trafficked to the New World. There are also some people who have committed serious crimes and cannot survive in the Central Plains, and they do not even dare to run to the South Seas, so they can only go to the ocean to the New World to seek a way to survive.

A place of penal exile.

In this Western-dominated city, the status of the Orientals is naturally not very high, and most of them can only do some low-level livelihoods, such as wharf transportation, railroad construction, and the wages are much less than those of the locals, as for the slaves, most of the slaves are concentrated in the plantations, and there are not many slaves in the big cities. If the conditions are slightly better, you can do some small business, such as restaurants and so on.

In such an environment, gangs similar to beggars inevitably breed to fill the power vacuum in the gray areas such as brothels and taverns, and there is no shortage of oriental faces.

This is also one of the reasons why Qi Xuansu pretends to be a Westerner, the status of the Oriental in the Northern Continent is too low, and it is almost the limit to be able to mix in the middle level, if you want to enter the upper level, you must take refuge in the Holy Court, and you must be more fanatical than the Westerners.

In fact, the reason is very simple, take Daomen as an example, the Zhang family and the Li family, as the veteran "shareholders" of Daomen, basically do whatever they want, and they look very lightly at the precepts and dogma, and it is under their leadership that they dare to mention the integration of the three religions and the long skills of the master. Because in a sense, they are the Daomen themselves, and no matter what they do, they will not be said to have betrayed the Daomen. As the Li family said, Dao Ancestor and Xuan Sheng are both from our old Li family, and the interpretation of the rules set by the ancestors is up to me, how could I be wrong?

But the later people can't do it, they must strictly abide by all kinds of precepts and dogmas, in order to show their absolute loyalty, there is no double heart, no matter what, they dare not touch topics such as the integration of the three religions and the long skills of the master.

This is like a joke, how to take the wine glass in aristocratic etiquette, after becoming the emperor, you can take it as you want, everything is subject to His Majesty the Emperor.

The same is true on the side of the Holy See, where the Orientals have to be more fanatical and extreme than the Westerners in order to show their loyalty.

Because of this, Qi Xuansu wants to contact the middle and high-level and gain an in-depth understanding of their movements, and the identity of the Oriental will be an obstacle.

As for why not pay attention to the bottom here, the reason is simple. The first point is that there are too few Orientals and aborigines, and there is no foundation, after all, the foundation is concentrated on the Tawantine side, so there is no need to think about organizing uprisings and rebellions. The second point is that Qi Xuansu is not the ruler here, it is not his turn to be responsible for here, no matter how much he sees, he can't do anything, he can only sigh with emotion. The third point is that Qi Xuansu doesn't have much time.

On the contrary, the movements of the middle and high-level are likely to have some unexpected gains, which will facilitate Qi Xuansu's overview of the situation.

Qi Xuansu was also carrying a big suitcase in his hand, in addition to some change of clothes, there were some Yingyang and Jin Krona in it, because it was extremely developed here, paper money had already appeared, and Qi Xuansu had also prepared some.

A beautiful horse-drawn rental car came to a halt beside Qi Xuansu, and Qi Xuansu said in Lune, "Go to the best hotel in the area."

The coachman diligently helped Qi Xuansu carry his luggage into the carriage, waited for Qi Xuansu to sit down, and left the dock.

Qi Xuansu's current identity is a gentleman from the country of Luen, without a title, an upright person, a good secondary education, and a wealthy family.

I came to St. York this time to seek greater development, after all, the country of Lune is too "crowded", and the competition is too fierce.

This identity is neither high nor low, and it can barely squeeze into the edge of some upper-class circles, but it will not be too conspicuous.

By the way, Qi Xuansu is now called Ducky Van der Linde. He is not only a proficient one

A gentleman of swordsmanship, he is also a magic handcuffer, especially a handcuff.

The relevant identification documents were all in his suitcase, after all, he was just an ordinary gentleman, and there could be no such thing as a space bag.

These documents are all written by Beichen Hall, and they are said to be forged, from the file number to the seal, they are all true. And the local church can't be checked, after all, this is a place where all kinds of foreign populations are mixed, the population flow is huge, and it is full of a large number of illegal black households, how to check? Just break the jar and let him go. This also gave the breeding ground for various cults, and it is said that some blood clans also came here, often committing crimes under the nose of the Holy Court.

However, there are only a handful of people who know that Qi Xuansu used this identity. In fact, in the external caliber of Beichen Hall, Qi Xuansu had not yet left for the Southern Continent at this time, but went to the Fenglinzhou Dao Mansion to replace the second deputy hall master, Shen Mingxin, to deal with some confidential matters.

Qi Xuansu looked at both sides of the street through the glass window, and from time to time he could see the jingling rail cars, and some strange rickshaws, with only two wheels, small in the front and large in the back, which needed to be stepped on with both feet.

There are also some tall steel guards in the streets, made of steel, which look like a large set of knight's armor, very ornate, and in some places you can see traces of gears and steam. Although these Iron Guards are sluggish, they are full of deterrence, and they are also equipped with Western long guns, which are connected to the "backpack" behind them with an iron pipe, and can launch long-range attacks.

Soon, the carriage stopped at the door of a luxurious four-story hotel, and Qi Xuansu gave an extra tip in addition to the fare according to the custom of Westerners, and then walked into the lobby of the hotel with a salute.

It costs a gold krone for one night here, which is not a luxury, but Qi Xuansu's trip this time is at public expense, so naturally there is no need to feel distressed.

In St. York, Qi Xuansu had a liaison named Strawney.

He is a pure Westerner, because of his frustration and hatred of the Holy Court, by chance by the Beichen Hall to develop into a supernumerary, with the strong support of the Beichen Hall, became a member of the city council.

It's not surprising that dignified paladins can become loyal servants of His Majesty the Emperor Xuan, fight for His Majesty the Emperor to draw his sword, and face the Daomen Spiritual Officer, let alone a down-and-out nobleman?

Parliamentarians need votes, and competing for votes requires huge financial support, and Beichentang has been operating overseas for many years and has relationships with many chambers of commerce, so naturally there is no shortage of funds.

Relationally, Strawney and Ducky were childhood friends, although they grew up to be separated, but the friendship of the year is still cherished in their hearts, and Ducky came to join his friends this time. If there is anything wrong or missing, it can also be explained that the two have not seen each other for many years and are unfamiliar.

Strawney's loyalty is not in doubt, not because of kindness, but because of fear and hatred, both of which come from the Holy See, which is not ironic.

Early the next morning, a guest visited.

It was Councillor Strawney, and his constituency was in the borough of Richmond.

This is the first time Strawney has seen Qi Xuansu, he only knows that there is a big man from Beichen Hall who is coming, but he doesn't know the origin of this big man, and even this "big man" is also from speculation, after all, his identity is more important, and he will not be used by leisure, and it must be a big man who can use him.

He thought that this big man would be an Oriental with long hair and a long robe, but he didn't expect it to be a Westerner.

Then he quickly reacted - it was a very clever disguise, and he didn't even see the slightest clue.

After the two confirmed their identities, Qi Xuansu set a ban and said straight to the point: "I am not here to inquire for intelligence, but to understand St. York under the rule of the Holy Court from the perspective of a relatively objective bystander."

Stroney can achieve the position of a city councilor, so he is naturally a smart person, and he immediately understood what Qi Xuansu meant.

This also made him breathe a sigh of relief, after all, the task was not difficult, and it was very reasonable, and he led his young friend who he hadn't seen for many years to walk around the city without arousing the suspicion of others.

As for how to end it, it was natural that this childhood friend did not find a suitable development opportunity and returned to Luen by boat.

"We're here to help." Strawney performed the etiquette of a Westerner.

Qi Xuansu waved his hand and said, "It doesn't have to be like this, don't forget, although we were childhood friends, you are already developed."

"Of course." Strawney smiled slightly, and returned to the grandeur of a city councilor.

After a normal breakfast at the inn, the two left the hotel together.

Strawney's carriage was already waiting here.

The two of them boarded the carriage and sat opposite each other, and the carriage moved slowly.

Qi Xuansu asked, "What have been the recent movements of the city council?"

Strawney didn't know Qi Xuansu's true identity, and replied, "After the new chief of Beichen Hall openly expressed his support for Tawantine, the city council began to push forward with a row bill. The idea is to hunt down all Taoists in the city and set them on fire for a 'glorious purification to ensure that the city is not encroached upon by Taoists.'

"But it's still being discussed, after all, Daomen is the master of the Eastern World, and arranging the Dao means starting a war with the other half of the world, and the consequences are too serious. The main argument for the proponents of this bill is that Taoists have many vices and prejudices, and it is impossible for them to be sanctified in life, let alone accept the ethical and moral standards of the Holy Court, and they are no different from cultists who believe in demons, and they must be severely cracked down."

"Although the bill has not yet been implemented, some places have already begun to make moves. If you are a Taoist, you will be imprisoned and expelled, and if you want to stay, you must publicly renounce your faith and be approved by the Church, which is extremely difficult."